Did Rauner learn an important lesson?
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Before Gov. Rauner haplessly diverted himself to the topics of Donald Trump and Speaker Madigan yesterday, he announced some good news about DCFS. From a press release…
Governor Bruce Rauner today discussed the transformations at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and how it’s better serving the needs of Illinois children.
“When I took office, DCFS was in shambles from a lack of leadership and direction,” Governor Rauner said. “Today, under the direction of Director George Sheldon, the agency has made an impressive transformation to ensure we are protecting our state’s most vulnerable children.”
Within the last year, DCFS has reduced the number of children in shelter care by 50 percent and instituted a new directive to ensure no child under the age of six spends the night in a shelter. DCFS has also reduced the use of deep-end residential treatment and partnered with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department to create the Child Recovery Unit.
In addition, DCFS increased its federal reimbursement for services provided to youth aged 18-21 by $20 million for FY16, and the state is expected to receive an additional $16 million in subsequent fiscal years by fixing a paperwork issue.
DCFS is also part of the state’s IT transformation by implementing the 360 Initiative. It is a platform that brings multiple databases together to ensure caseworkers have the whole picture of a family’s situation more quickly and efficiently.
“In the last year, we’ve accomplished a lot to improve Illinois’ child welfare system. These initiatives are just a starting point; we must also change the way we think about our youth in care,” DCFS Director Sheldon said. “DCFS is supporting new legislation to provide children in foster care more normalcy and to recognize the strong bond a child and foster parent may develop. We also must recognize the hard-working women and men at DCFS who are striving every day to restore families, and give children hope for their future and set them on a path for better lives.”
The bills supported by DCFS are SB 2371/HB 5551 which expand the definition of “fictive kin” to include foster parents, and SB 3041/HB 5665 which enable foster parents and caregivers to act as “prudent parents” and make decisions to give children a more normal life.
These transformations are part of the vision Governor Rauner laid out in his State of the State Address. The purpose is to improve how we provide health and human services in Illinois to produce better outcomes for our most vulnerable residents.
Emphasis added.
* With that in mind, here’s the response from Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), DCFS’ most active legislative critic. She offers both praise and a couple of important historical reminders…
“In the last year, DCFS has indeed transformed and worked diligently to address the mounting issues uncovered by state hearings and news reports. And while the agency is better today than it was a year ago, let’s not forget how the governor sought to dismantle vital services in his budget last year.
“Governor Rauner called for a 12.5 percent reduction in spending for wards of the state and eliminating support for some 2,400 wards ages 18 to 21 years old, ignoring pleas from the community and the wards themselves to keep a roof over their heads and keep them safe.
“I called on the governor to take action after he entered office, just as I have called on previous governors to step up to the plate for our state’s children.
“Today, I am glad the agency is getting recognition for its improvements. Director George Sheldon and the DCFS advisory board have made great strides in improving the agency by listening to human service advocates and concerned residents. But, the Rauner administration needs to stop trying to take credit for programs that they considered nonessential and repeatedly tried to zero out of the budget.”
Not to mention that he vetoed the DCFS budget last year. But emphasis was added to point out that maybe the governor learned something on this topic after last year’s budget fight. Either way, it’s a good thing that it’s now part of the program.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For what I believe to be the first time, the governor was asked today about his proposed budget, which zeroes out state funding for agriculture education…
…Adding… Democratic response…
State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) issued the following statement after the governor’s comments regarding Illinois agriculture on Tuesday.
“The governor repeatedly mentions the fact that Illinois’ economy is driven by agriculture but at the same time he wants to completely eliminate agriculture education funding in the state.
“Agriculture education programs allow for our young students interested in careers in agriculture to be educated and prepared to enter that workforce. Without that funding, many school districts would completely eliminate their programs.
“Those who rely on agriculture education funding deserve the guarantee that it will be there. We cannot expect them to be successful when their funding is under attack from the Rauner administration.
“I don’t understand why the governor prioritizes roofs on the barns at the fairground over direct funding for agriculture education in classrooms.”
* The Question: Do you mainly agree with the governor’s approach? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
polls & surveys
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We’re number one… For now
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Good news and a warning from this press release from Clean Energy Trust and Environmental Entrepreneurs…
More than 113,000 workers are in Illinois’ clean energy industry, surpassing the number of clean energy jobs in other Midwestern states. The clean energy industry, which includes solar, wind, bioenergy and other technology, employs more individuals in Illinois than the fossil fuel industry.
According to a comprehensive analysis – available at www.CleanJobsMidwest.com - unveiled today by Clean Energy Trust (CET) and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), employment in the clean energy sector in Illinois grew 9%. In 2016, jobs in Illinois’ clean energy sector surpassed expectations for job growth, with small businesses employing nearly 70% of individuals in the clean energy sector.
“The expanding demand for energy efficient building design has allowed dbHMS to grow significantly and create clean jobs here in Illinois,” said Sachin Anand, Principal, dbHMS.
However, while jobs in the clean energy sector grew overall, solar and wind power generation saw job losses. Solar jobs dropped 3.5%, from 4,424 to 4,272 and wind generation saw larger losses dropping 11% from 3,980 to 3,549.
The decrease in solar and wind jobs can be attributed to the failure to fully implement the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in Illinois. Illinois currently has energy efficiency standards and a RPS mandating that by 2016, 25% of the State’s energy come from renewable energy. However, as a result of a spending cap on energy efficiency, Illinois is not currently reaching its’ energy efficiency goals. Businesses project that Illinois’s clean energy workforce overall will grow by only 5.3% over the next 12 months compared to the 9% growth from last year. Fixing the RPS would stimulate growth in these sectors.
“Clean energy is a dynamic sector and central to economic growth in Illinois. Smart public policy will further accelerate the clean energy sector and create thousands of new jobs created across the state, a big economic advantage for Illinois,” said Erik Birkerts, CEO of Clean Energy Trust.
“Microgrid Energy helps businesses install solar power systems, reducing their power bills and saving them money. Illinois has great solar potential, but we need to fix the broken Renewable Portfolio Standards in Illinois to provide certainty for businesses like ours,” said Will Kenworthy, Vice President for Regional Operations at Microgrid Energy.
The report also found:
· Energy efficiency jobs, such as working with high-efficiency lighting, Energy Star appliance manufacturing and high-efficiency HVAC services, are by far the largest clean energy sector employer in the state, employing over three-fourths of the Illinois clean energy workforce.
· The Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metro area has the largest regional clean energy employment in the state with over 81,000 clean energy jobs.
· Clean energy employs more than 550,000 people across the 12-state Midwest region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin).
· Renewable energy generation employed almost 13,000 Illinois workers, distributed relatively evenly between mostly solar, wind, and bioenergy— with 4,200, 3,500, and 3,000 jobs respectively.
“The Midwest is a central hub of America’s clean energy jobs market. Other regions may attract more attention, but there’s no doubt the Midwest is a force in its own right,” said Philip Jordan, Vice President and Principal at BW Research Partnership. “Having such a massive clean energy workforce concentrated in the Midwest is due in no small part to some strong state- and federal-level policies. But as the clean energy businesses we spoke with made abundantly clear, there are some major opportunities for more growth within the sector.”
The analysis – available at www.CleanJobsMidwest.com – is based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and a comprehensive survey of thousands of businesses across Illinois and the region. This analysis was developed with BW Research, and included as part of a major U.S. Department of Energy study of all energy jobs in America released earlier this month. The Clean Jobs Midwest report provides detailed breakdowns of clean energy jobs not available previously – including job totals for every county in Illinois. Illinois is currently home to 113,918 clean energy jobs.
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Not quite on the same page
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Last week’s primary has caused a bit of messaging confusion. From today…
* From yesterday…
[State Sens. Michael Connelly, R-Wheaton, and Chris Nybo, R-Elmhurst] said only political pressure, whether it be Democrats losing seats in the November election or increasingly dire financial straits, seemed likely to bring Madigan to the bargaining table.
That seems to run directly counter to the governor’s new messaging.
But here’s something to ponder: What if the Democrats gain seats? It is a presidential year, after all, and they do have the map.
While that seems to be a less likely prospect in the Senate, with John Sullivan’s retirement, it might conceivably happen in the House.
* Full raw Rauner audio from today…
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This message ain’t gonna work, either
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* So, does this mean he won’t be backing the winner of the 50th Senate District Republican primary? I thought as the self-described “leader of the Republican Party,” he was obligated to support the nominee?…
Sam McCann: Infinitely worse than Trump!
Or… something.
…Adding… Can’t this message also be read to somehow imply that the people who voted for the winners somehow aren’t taxpayers? Not cool, governor. Not cool.
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A tweet unexamined…
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network on legislative social media presence…
Carl Palmer, associate professor of politics and government at Illinois State University, said for someone like Speaker Michael Madigan, the platforms aren’t necessary. “Madigan has the name recognition, he has the power and influence.”
Palmer also notes that some older politicians may not see the importance of social media at all.
“There are older political actors, older political figures, that are just more resistant to adapting and changing,” Palmer said.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said he hasn’t examined the issue of social media and didn’t want to comment.
Those House Democratic top guys are openly hostile to social media. But as more people decide not to answer their phones and their doors during campaigns, tune out direct mail and migrate even further away from network TV and terrestrial radio, the brain trust is gonna eventually have to drag itself into the 21st Century.
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Time for a messaging reboot
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* When you flatly deny something that everybody else can plainly see with their own two eyes, like the governor’s high-profile primary election losses last week, it tends to create problems. From WLS Radio…
Gov. Bruce Rauner is calling for more budget talks now that the primary elections are over, but he’s ignoring the results of those primaries.
Now that Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) trounced him in last Tuesday’s primaries, Rauner wants Madigan to compromise.
Oof.
That’s gotta sting.
* Also, let’s reexamine this other gubernatorial quote from yesterday…
“It seems to me that the crisis is being extended for political gain and messaging, and that’s wrong.”
At the very least, doesn’t that statement imply that the other side’s message is “#Winning”?
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Cleaning up Quinn’s mess
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Quinn’s administration sat on hundreds of millions of federal dollars for homeowner weatherization, which could’ve created huge numbers of jobs during the Great Recession. And, guess what? A half-billion dollar school construction program was also never activated…
In the depths of the Great Recession, then-Gov. Pat Quinn celebrated a roughly $500 million school construction bond program that would allow Illinois districts to build new facilities, fix old ones and handle a bevy of housekeeping needs, all via a federal program that would subsidize interest payments on the borrowing.
But while other states charged ahead with their slice of the Qualified School Construction Bonds program, Illinois did nothing.
The $495.6 million in bonding authority granted to Illinois sat on the shelf in Springfield for six years, denying schools a chance at a unique borrowing deal that could save taxpayers money.
It only became available late last year, after district administrators like those in West Aurora School District 129 caught wind of its existence and started “clamoring” for its release, according to interviews and Illinois board of education records obtained via a Freedom of Information request.
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Lip service
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the twitters…
* From the news…
Illinois risks losing thousands of tourism jobs — and hundreds of millions in state and local tax revenue — from marketing cuts and ongoing budget uncertainty, according to an industry study released Monday. […]
According to the report, a 20 percent cut from $63.8 million for tourism marketing in fiscal 2014 would cost the state $2.3 billion in visitor spending, 4,600 jobs and nearly $200 million in state and local taxes over four years. If marketing money were eliminated, according to the study by Oxford Economics Co., the four-year figures increase to $11.3 billion in visitor spending, 22,800 jobs, and $970 million in state and local taxes. […]
“When they hear ‘museum,’ they think presidential museum,” said Gemberling. “We get calls into our office asking, ‘Is Springfield closed?’ There’s this perception out there that all of our sites are closed. So we have increased our media buys in St. Louis and Chicago, as well as regionally, to combat and stop that message.” […]
Marketing cuts also threaten to set back one of the state’s fastest-growing industries in tourism, said Brett Stawar, president and CEO of the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. Stawar said Illinois is pulling back at a time when neighboring states, including Missouri, are aggressively targeting Illinois travelers.
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#Winning!
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You’ve undoubtedly seen this…
* The candidate was asked to explain by the Washington Post’s editorial board…
HIATT: I’d like to come back to the campaign. You said a few weeks ago after a family in Chicago gave some money to a PAC opposing you, you said, “They better watch out. They have a lot to hide.” What should they watch out for?
TRUMP: Look, they are spending vicious … I don’t even know these people. Those Ricketts. I actually said they ought to focus on the Chicago Cubs and, you know, stop playing around. They spent millions of dollars fighting me in Florida. And out of 68 counties, I won 66. I won by 20 points, almost 20 points. Against, everybody thought he was a popular sitting senator. I had $38 million dollars spent on me in Florida over a short period of time. $38 million. And, you know, the Ricketts, I don’t even know these people.
HIATT: So, what does it mean, “They better watch out”?
TRUMP: Well, it means that I’ll start spending on them. I’ll start taking ads telling them all what a rotten job they’re doing with the Chicago Cubs. I mean, they are spending on me. I mean, so am I allowed to say that? I’ll start doing ads about their baseball team. That it’s not properly run or that they haven’t done a good job in the brokerage business lately.
RYAN: Would you do that while you are president?
TRUMP: No, not while I am president. No, not while I’m president. That is two phases. Right now, look, you know, I went to a great school, I was a good student and all. I am an intelligent person. My uncle, I would say my uncle was one of the brilliant people. He was at MIT for 35 years. As a great scientist and engineer, actually more than anything else. Dr. John Trump, a great guy. I’m an intelligent person. I understand what is going on. Right now, I had 17 people who started out. They are almost all gone. If I were going to do that in a different fashion I think I probably wouldn’t be sitting here. You would be interviewing somebody else. But it is hard to act presidential when you are being … I mean, actually I think it is presidential because it is winning. And winning is a pretty good thing for this country because we don’t win any more. And I say it all the time. We do not win any more. This country doesn’t win.
* Related…
* Mark Brown: I know for a fact that Illinois GOP leaders have been dreading since last year the possibility of a Trump nomination and the detrimental effect it might have on their efforts down the ballot — in particular Rauner’s hopes of clawing back state legislative seats from Democrats and keeping his appointee Leslie Munger as state comptroller… Rather than speak out about Trump, Rauner says that if Trump is the nominee, he’ll do everything he can for him. If he does, I can only hope that Illinois voters make him pay a price for it.
* Jim Dey: Democrats smell what Republicans fear — another Goldwater-like landslide defeat — and they think either tying Republicans to Trump or forcing them to repudiate him will boost their electoral prospects.
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